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Chandler Smith – No. 81 Wheelers Toyota GR Supra Preview – Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

by MikeSeptember 5, 2024

SMITH AT ATLANTA: Georgia-native Chandler Smith will return to his home track this weekend as the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) races at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS). Smith has one top-five finish in three starts at AMS, which came earlier this year when he finished in second.

DARLINGTON RECAP: Smith started the latest NXS race at Darlington Raceway in fifth and struggled with handling for most of the race. The No. 81 earned an eighth-place finish.

ON THE PITBOX: Crew Chief of the No. 81, Jeff Meendering has visited Victory Lane 10 times as a NXS crew chief, most recently with Smith at Richmond in March 2024. His teams have collected 67 top-five finishes, 138 top-10 finishes, and 14 pole positions under his leadership. (more…)

Taylor Gray – No. 19 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra Preview – Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

by MikeSeptember 5, 2024

GRAY AT ATLANTA: Taylor Gray started 19th and finished fourth in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this year. That race was his only experience at the 1.54-mile track so far.

GRAY XFINITY SEASON: Gray has claimed a pair of top-five finishes and three top-10s in nine NASCAR Xfinity Series starts this season. He made an incredible first impression with a third-place finish in his debut at Richmond Raceway in March. More recently, Gray posted top-five qualifying efforts in his last two starts at Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway on the way to back-to-back top-10 finishes. (more…)

Harvick Accuses Ford of Wanting SHR to Lose: ‘They Want Their Cars to Win’

by MikeSeptember 5, 2024

Kevin Harvick has accused Ford of undermining Stewart-Haas Racing to favor its other teams, asserting that Ford prefers its cars to win over SHR’s. Harvick, a big figure at SHR during his NASCAR Cup Series career, offered this insight following his departure after the 2023 season and amid SHR’s struggling 2024 performance.

The 2024 season for SHR has been a challenging one, with Chase Briscoe assuming the role of leading driver after Harvick’s exit. However, Briscoe managed a vital victory at Darlington, securing a playoff spot and providing a significant morale boost to a team that needed it. (more…)

NASCAR partners with BLAST for upcoming $3 million FNCS Global Championship & RLCS World Championship 2024 events at Dickies Arena

by MikeSeptember 5, 2024

Esport entertainment company BLAST has announced a partnership with NASCAR to sponsor the FNCS Global Championship and Rocket League World Championship 2024, which are set to take place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on September 7-8 and 10-15 respectively.

Both competitions will be held at Dickies Arena with more than $3 million in total combined prize pool on offer across both events. Across the two championships, over 35 countries will be represented with over 148 players from around the world coming to Fort Worth to compete on a global stage. (more…)

Stewart-Haas Racing: Atlanta NXS Advance (Cole Custer | Riley Herbst)

by MikeSeptember 5, 2024

Cole Custer and the No. 00 Autodesk / Haas Automation team are hoping to build on the momentum of their runner-up finish last Saturday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. They must first face the challenge of superspeedway-style racing in Saturday’s Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which has provided a mixed bag of results for the team in the past. While Custer’s spot in the 12-driver Xfinity Series Playoffs field is locked in by virtue of his July 13 win at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Custer is still racing for one more title in the final three regular-season races – regular-season champion. It’s a feat he has yet to achieve in his otherwise successful Xfinity Series career.

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Burton, DEX Imaging Team Open Playoff Bid In Quaker State 400 At Atlanta

by MikeSeptember 4, 2024

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team kick off their 2024 Playoff run this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Sunday’s Quaker State 400 is the opening race of the Round of 16, and Burton, who will be making his 100th career Cup start, enters the event 14th in points thanks to his win in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

The three races in the opening Playoff round are at AMS, followed by Watkins Glen and Bristol Motor Speedway after which the bottom four drivers in the standings will be eliminated from championship contention. (more…)

Max Lanza is the EuroNASCAR Regular Season Challenger Trophy Winner

by MikeSeptember 4, 2024

Most, Czech Republic – A masterpiece by Max Lanza in the Czech Republic, with a victory and a second place, puts him at the top of the Challenger Trophy at the end of the EuroNASCAR regular season. The Roman driver enters the Playoffs of the American-derived series with a solid 18-point lead, a useful margin to manage the last four double-points races effectively. (more…)

A Stacked Field Makes For A Compelling NASCAR Cup Playoff Opening Round

by MikeSeptember 4, 2024

The Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway delivered on so many levels Sunday night to finish the NASCAR Cup Series regular season in dramatic fashion and usher in what should be a compelling 10-race Playoff featuring two first-time championship contenders and five former series champions in a 16-driver field that has already proven any of them could produce a clutch win at any point.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson tops the 2024 championship standings heading into Sunday’s Playoff opener, the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

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NASCAR Announces 2025 National Series Schedules

by MikeSeptember 4, 2024

NASCAR Cup Series Goes International for First Points Race in Modern Era

With Visit to Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City;

The Clash Moves to Historic Bowman Gray Stadium

Historic Venue Rockingham Speedway Added to NASCAR Xfinity Series and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Schedules

Lime Rock Park Joins CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Slate for First Time Ever

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 29, 2024) – NASCAR continues to set historic milestones with its national series schedules, as the 2025 slates were announced today for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, which expands its schedule to 25 races for the first time since 2011. New venues will highlight the various series schedules, including Bowman Gray Stadium, Rockingham Speedway and Lime Rock Park. And, as announced earlier this week, NASCAR will etch another first into the record books in 2025 when the Cup Series goes international for a points race in Mexico City, Mexico. (more…)

NASCAR Awards to Take Place in the Queen City

by MikeSeptember 4, 2024

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – (August 30, 2024) – The annual NASCAR Awards – the year-end celebration honoring the sport’s top talents and brightest stars – will have a new home in 2024 … Charlotte, N.C. Home to many of the sport’s drivers, race teams and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, this will be the first time the NASCAR Cup Series Awards will be hosted in the Queen City.

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